CANADIAN ‘SOURCE VERITAS’ DIAMONDS

Waldman Diamond Company, a Rio Tinto Select Diamantaire, is working with Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL), North America's only ISO 17025 Accredited Gem Laboratory, to certify diamonds mined in Canada, and specifically from the Diavik Diamond Mine located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. This program assures consumers that the diamonds they are purchasing are compliant with the Kimberley Process and the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct. The Diavik mine has been consistently praised for adhering to the highest environmental & safety standards, as well as contributing significantly to the social and economic activity of the Northwest Terroritories of Canada.

"For this project, we looked for a lab with very strict grading policies and the ability to audit the trace of the stone from the source," explains Eli Fruchter of Waldman Diamond Company. "We wanted our product to be fairly represented, and not for a lenient lab to upgrade our diamonds. Our commitment is to our customers, and GCAL offers a guarantee that is an automatic value-added component to our product."

GCAL was chosen for its ability to accomplish the highest level of transparency through its exclusive Source Veritas™ Process and Gemprint® technology, the process for finding a diamond's unique optical fingerprint. Presently, the Israeli, New York, and Vancouver Waldman factories and offices are equipped with Gemprint® instruments. Additionally, each Canadian Source Veritas™ diamond comes with the exclusive GCAL 4C's Zero Tolerance Consumer Grading Guarantee, which provides consumers with the added assurance that their diamond was graded accurately.

"There are quite a few advantages to choosing GCAL," Fruchter explains. "Their Guaranteed Certificate is the added credibility that our clients and the ultimate end consumer is looking for. In addition, GCAL's Certificate offers the bonus of Light Performance and the possibility of savings on insurance rates. Because we produce a higher quality diamond with excellent proportions, we want a lab that will be able to accurately represent these features on paper."

According to Donald A. Palmieri, GCAL President, the time is right for diamond producers to embrace GCAL's value-added certificates. "In difficult economic times, customers are looking for assurance on their most important purchases," he says. "We are proud to be able to provide a level of comfort and security for both the diamond sellers and buyers, as well as a cost-effective way to adhere to the Kimberley Process. This partnership with Waldman Diamond Company is another step toward industry transparency."

"We are extremely excited to work with an esteemed diamond company that shares our vision of differentiated products and understands the value of Gemprint®, Light Performance, and our exclusive Guarantee," says Angelo Palmieri, Director of Certified Diamond Exchange. "This provides an opportunity for the members of CDE to source diamonds that come from mines routinely praised for environmental and safety standards, and contributing to the economic and social activity of the Northwest Territories of Canada."